Clinton's blood clot causes no damage

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Washington Post

Updated 11:07 pm, Monday, December 31, 2012

Photo: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

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(FILES) November 20, 2012 file photo shows US President Barack Obama (C) looks at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) as she joins a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (not pictured) on the sidelines of the East Asian Summit at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been hospitalized after suffering a blood clot following an accident earlier this month, her senior State Department aide Philippe Reines said December 30, 2012. Clinton fell ill with a stomach bug that led to her fainting and suffering a concussion, but her office had insisted she was recovering and the top US diplomat was expected back at her desk Monday. AFP PHOTO / FILES / Jewel SamadJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images less

(FILES) November 20, 2012 file photo shows US President Barack Obama (C) looks at US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) as she joins a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda (not ... more

Photo: Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

Clinton's blood clot causes no damage

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Washington --

The blood clot that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton suffered is inside her skull but did not result in a stroke or neurological damage, her spokesman said Monday.

The clot was discovered during a routine MRI on Sunday as Clinton was recuperating from a fall and concussion, a statement from spokesman Philippe Reines and Clinton's doctors said. The doctors predicted a full recovery.

"The scan revealed that a right transverse sinus venous thrombosis had formed. This is a clot in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear," the statement said. "It did not result in a stroke, or neurological damage."

"In all other aspects of her recovery, the secretary is making excellent progress and we are confident she will make a full recovery," the doctors said. "She is in good spirits, engaging with her doctors, her family, and her staff."

Clinton has had at least one previous blood clot, in her right leg in 1998. At the time, she was treated with blood-thinning drugs.